KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The Truman State women's basketball team delivered a dominant performance Saturday afternoon, defeating Rockhurst 77-38 at Pershing Arena. The Bulldogs improved to 12-8 overall and 9-3 in conference play, while the Hawks fell to 6-13 (2-11).
Truman State established control from the opening tip, with Mallory Ott scoring the game's first points on a tip-in layup and free throw to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead at the 9:03 mark. Ott connected on a three-pointer at 8:29, assisted by Lexie White, extending the advantage to 6-0.
The Hawks struggled mightily from the field in the opening quarter, shooting just 17.6% (3-17) and missing all seven three-point attempts. Katelyn Odem hit a three-pointer at 6:08, assisted by Morgan Miller, to push Truman's lead to 12-6. Neylan Vila Delicado provided a spark off the bench, draining a three-pointer at 4:43 to make it 16-6. Vila Delicado connected again from beyond the arc at 0:45, assisted by Emajin McCallop, extending the first-quarter lead to 19-6. McCallop capped the period with a driving layup with two seconds remaining to give the Bulldogs a 21-6 advantage.
Truman State's defensive intensity continued in the second quarter. White hit a three-pointer at 5:17, assisted by McCallop, to push the lead to 30-15. After Odem made a layup at 4:50 to extend the margin to 32-15, the Bulldogs' lead grew to 21 points. Maggie Chambers scored on a layup at 3:09, assisted by McCallop, making it 36-15. McCallop added a driving layup at 0:17, drawing a foul from Aubrey Treadwell, and converted the free throw to give Truman a 39-18 halftime lead.
The third quarter saw more of the same dominance from the Bulldogs. After a pull-up jumper by McCallop at 8:47 made it 41-20, she hit a fast-break three-pointer at 7:14, assisted by White, extending the lead to 44-20. McCallop made two free throws at 6:55 to push the advantage to 46-20. Avery Rausch scored on a jumper at 2:39 to make it 52-20, and Rogers added a free throw at 1:30 to extend it to 53-20. Odem's driving layup at 1:00 pushed the lead to 35 points at 55-20, completing a 16-0 run that epitomized Truman State's third-quarter control.
The fourth quarter featured extensive substitutions as Truman State maintained its commanding lead. Kennedy Retherford provided a boost off the bench with 10 points in the period. Rogers made a layup at 9:19, assisted by Miller, to push the lead to 57-23. Retherford followed with a layup at 8:50, assisted by Rogers, extending the advantage to 59-23. After Ott's layup at 6:27 made it 63-25, Chambers scored on a tip-in layup at 5:52 to give the Bulldogs a 65-25 lead.
Retherford knocked down a fast-break three-pointer at 5:33, assisted by Sophia Hope, to make it 68-28. Hope then connected on a three-pointer at 5:11, assisted by Vila Delicado, pushing the lead to 71-28. The Bulldogs' largest lead came at 45 points (73-28) when Chambers made one of two free throws at 4:52. Marta Perez Souza capped the scoring with a driving layup at 0:59 to seal the 77-38 victory.
McCallop led all scorers with 16 points on efficient 4-of-10 shooting, adding seven assists and four rebounds. Ott contributed 13 points and seven rebounds, while Retherford added 10 points off the bench. Vila Delicado finished with eight points, eight rebounds, and six steals in an all-around performance.
Team Statistics Comparison
| Category |
Truman State |
Rockhurst |
| Field Goals |
26-62 (41.9%) |
14-55 (25.5%) |
| 3-Point FGs |
9-25 (36.0%) |
4-28 (14.3%) |
| Free Throws |
16-20 (80.0%) |
6-12 (50.0%) |
| Total Rebounds |
53 |
27 |
| Offensive Rebounds |
13 |
4 |
| Assists |
18 |
6 |
| Turnovers |
19 |
20 |
| Steals |
10 |
12 |
| Blocks |
1 |
2 |
| Points in Paint |
30 |
18 |
| Fast Break Points |
16 |
1 |
| Second Chance Points |
14 |
5 |
| Bench Points |
33 |
11 |
Truman State Statistical Leaders
Points
Rebounds
Assists
Steals
Blocks
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will have a very important next road trip against SBU and Drury. Drury currently sits one game above the Bulldogs in 2nd place in the GLVC standings. The Bearcats come first, next Thursday at 5:30 PM.
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